


Are the Walls Intact Today?

by OrangeTomatoPaste



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-14
Updated: 2016-01-14
Packaged: 2018-05-13 23:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5720626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeTomatoPaste/pseuds/OrangeTomatoPaste
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>That cheeky grin and those sparkling, wild golden eyes act like a fist to his gut—after the brief ache passes he’s filled with adrenaline, heart pounding and fists balling.<br/>In which Kylo Ren has the crush of a school boy on his head of security.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Are the Walls Intact Today?

The cute head of security always manages to turns his head for him, no matter what emergency situation or mundane routine brings them together. Behind his mask, when she walks in Kylo Ren forgets for half a second that he’s supposed to be a terrifying, imposing leader of the First Order. He forgets the dark meaning behind being part of the Knights of Ren. In fact, for half a second he damn near forgets to breathe. That cheeky grin and those sparkling, wild golden eyes act like a fist to his gut—after the brief ache passes he’s filled with adrenaline, heart pounding and fists balling. He itches to make a move.  
All of this really sucks when he’s supposed to be simply overseeing the single most mundane task of watching the officers in the control rooms make sure the StarDestroyer is staying in orbit of some backwater planet while they await an information retrieval squad to return. At the moment, they cannot strike against the Resistance which planets pledge strongest to the rebels. But the monotony needs no effort. For once, he can relax and simply observe everything flitting around him. At these moments there is no turmoil within him, no fight between the snarling wolves of light and dark.  
And then she steps into the room.  
He should have guessed that would happen. In fact, he should have known. Heart pounding in his chest, he turns to greet her with, “Ambrus.” Shit. He needs to move. Do something. Anything. Like get her out of the room. Get her out of his head. And probably not address her by first name—wouldn’t it be best to keep her at a distance? Like, say, he’s on a retreating ship and she’s marooned on Jakku?  
“Sir Kylo,” she answers back with that signature grin, oblivious to his swirling emotions. “What’s the situation in here?” He never imagined someone with such a bright personality could survive in the First Order, let alone thrive enough to become head of security.  
“All is in order,” he answers, glad his mask distorts his voice. He does not need this distraction. Instead of leaving at his answer, Ambrus walks in and stands behind a female officer, surveying the screen. “All is quiet.”  
She hums a response.  
Most importantly, whenever she enters the room, he always forgets that she’s not his.  
Ambrus Hux rubs the officer’s shoulders. “Keep it up,” she tells the officer. Then she releases her, the officer futilely trying not to smile, and comes to stand beside Ren. Any closer and their arms would brush. “Andross wanted to see you,” she says, head tilted towards him. He gazes at her pink lips before dragging his eyes up to her perfect golden ones. They shine in the light, a mischievous glint that never seems to vanish.  
He remembers the time, after her first promotion, she decided to celebrate by releasing a single Loth-Cat on board. That had been before she married the General—the Loth-Cat had him purple with rage, not to mention a lovely score of claw marks on his cheek. He distinctly remembers the amount of shouting Hux had used to discipline her while Ren stood there with the Loth-Cat tame on his shoulder, ready to release it into space to die (the real part of Ambrus’ punishment). He remembers watching her struggling not to smile the entire time Hux shouted.  
“He’s in the hangar just yonder. If you wish it so, I may accompany you there,” she offers.  
That’s the last thing he needs. First thing he wishes. “Please do,” he says. Together they turn and exit the control room, turning right to the hangar. “You seem cheerful today,” he comments. “Is the meeting a good one for once?”  
“That’s for him to disclose,” she answers. “You seem the usual mysterious leader behind your mask,” she says. Ren smiles. “All the walls are intact today, I take it?”  
Anyone else, he would have chewed them out for even referencing his temper, especially since it indirectly referenced his past failures. But for her, he lets out a chuckle. A sound reserved for a terribly few amount of people. “They are indeed,” he informs her. She pulled him from one of the… episodes once. She was not promoted to head of security for no reason—beneath the constricting, bland uniform hides a bundle of muscle and clever mind characteristic of a fierce warrior, characteristic of her. She literally pulled him from the wall and subdued him by yanking his arm behind his back.  
Maybe that was what started it all.  
He had let his lightsaber retreat, whether from shock or submissiveness, and let it fall from his hand. She sent the Stormtroopers away with a bark, and so the pair had been entirely alone in that tiny room. In the moment she released his arm, once his breathing had evened out, he took his helmet from his head with a hiss of air and sat there, head bowed, nothing but shame coursing through his body. He should not have failed. And yet he couldn’t use the failure to fuel his anger, and therefore the Force—at least, not with her right there.  
After a few moments of silence, she knelt beside him. He stiffened, screwing his eyes shut, terrified that she might see the shame blurring his eyes. Something soft touched his back. Her warm hand moved up and down his back, and the hot pressure behind his eyes lessened, the flaming warmth on his cheeks vanished. “Thank you for not giving me a matching scar,” was all she said. He leaned back against her shoulder, just letting the feeling of being close to another person comfort him. She wrapped and arm around his shoulders, touching her forehead to his back.  
But all moments had to end.  
Seeing the ring on her finger made him stand, nod to her, put his mask back on, and then hurry from the tiny room back to his quarters. From then on, whenever they met he suffered the usual side effects of gut-wrenching angst. Damn General Hux. Damn him for meeting her first. Damn Ambrus for falling in love with the man. Damn himself for allowing anyone to become such a distraction.  
“Glad to hear it,” she says, pulling from his memories. “I’m also glad you made a full recovery.” His stomach flips. “Would’ve hated to see you out of commission so soon.”  
They enter the hangar. Hux has his back turned as he watches a few mechanics work on a sad-looking TIE fighter. The ship lets out a whine as one mechanic tries to turn the engine over. “General Hux,” Ambrus calls. At his name Hux turns his head, hair on fire beneath the hangar lights, and the moment he sees her his entire face lights up with a smile.  
“I see you located Ren.” Ren gives a grunt in answer, turning his back to them to survey the line of fearsome ships in the hangar.  
She’s the only time Ren ever sees a genuine smile on General Hux’s face, he notes bitterly. And her loyalties are all too clear—he doesn’t need to see them to know that they exchange a soft, quick kiss before turning to address Ren. In his mask, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Let the hurt fuel your hate for the general, let the hate fuel you. “What is it you needed, General?”

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, I couldn't resist naming Hux Andross. For any Star Fox fans, I apologize for any associations/funny mental images of a giant monkey head.  
> Hope you guys enjoyed! Couldn't resist hopping aboard the First Order train.


End file.
